Aero Anj4

[John Lever]

So I was cheeky and asked Ken if I could borrow one of the new pattern long zip type Anj4 jackets. Of course he agreed and after a one week wait he sent one out by courier.
What a beautiful jacket it is made from very nice soft sheepskin with superb soft cream coloured shiny fleece and really great horse hide facings of the correct colour. The first impression was that this is an easy wearing garment as there is no struggle to get it on and it zips up the first time with ease. There is virtually no restriction to movement. This is a generous 42 with plenty of room so it would be wise to check dimensions carefully when ordering. It's also quite long and gives adequate cover of the lower back without the skirting that can occur when the side belts are tightened.
I notice that this jacket has a two panel back. Most of the originals seem to be single panel, certainly the Eastman and Lost Worlds have single panels so I am unsure whether this is a copy of a specific contract.
There are a couple of minor seam wobbles but these are very minor and certainly wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I only point them out to be objective.
So in comparison to the recently reviewed Lost Worlds I would say that this is almost as good. It comes very very close in terms of quality and exceeds it in the choice of leather trim. The double rivets are àlso very nice touch.The main thing though is the price, it is almost half the cost !
In conclusion I would say that there is no longer any need to go to The Real McCoy's as we have our own version in Scotland.
Thanks to Bernie for making the jacket.
Apologies for any inverted images Tiny pic doesn't like my tablet.

 

[Sloan1874]

Great review, John. That's a serious amount of sheepskin. Side-question how easy is it to keep the shearling on these jackets clean? The only thing that put me off the likes of the B-3, B-6 and Anj-4 is the lovely cream shearling as I have an unerring ability to get that sort of thing dirty (hence my preference for the golden fleece of the Irvin).
Ps, I think it's Bertie (he's a she btw) who does the sheepskin jackets.

 

[John Lever]

Dirt has never been an issue for me and with this style it's only the collar that gets any exposure. Blue dye rubs off jeans though at the waist .

 

[Otter]

John,
What is the fleece pile like, it looks kind of long and silky in the photos.

Edit: and any chance of a close up of the bottom end of the zip area?

 

[Grayland]

Great looking jacket.

 

[Plumbline]

Looks GREAT John .. I've had a few of the old Aero ones and they always came in a little long and quite big in the collar ..... thoughts on this ???

Equally ... how does it compare re. pocket length - they look quite long ( but this could be the angle etc.)

Very nice though ... but looks incredibly similar to the old one ( facings aside) .... minus buttons at bottom, shorter zip and the adjuster straps not being on the cross seam ( which is unlike what I've seen with RMC and Eastman ).

 

[John Lever]

Sorry I have no idea why it is inverted,the fleece is great BTW

 

[John Lever]

Looks GREAT John .. I've had a few of the old Aero ones and they always came in a little long and quite big in the collar ..... thoughts on this ???

Equally ... how does it compare re. pocket length - they look quite long ( but this could be the angle etc.)

Very nice though ... but looks incredibly similar to the old one ( facings aside) .... minus buttons at bottom, shorter zip and the adjuster straps not being on the cross seam ( which is unlike what I've seen with RMC and Eastman ).

View attachment 24270

View attachment 24271

The pockets are very well proportioned and the jacket is a very good practical length. The thing I would say is that it is big for a 42 and I could probably wear a 40. The cuffs don't irritate the backs of the hands in the way some have.

 

[Otter]

Thanks John, exactly what I wanted . It must be Australian sheep if it is upside down .

Reason I asked about the fleece was it looked good in the long shots but a bit wispy on the fine deatail closeups . I guess I can take your word on it, it must be good if you think it almost the LW quality, I know what you thought of that jacket.

 

[Hide'n'seek]

Thanks for the review and kind words John .
Just a couple of quick shots grabbed on my phone ( sorry for quality ) showing the original we have been using as reference showing the center back seam you hadn't seen before and also the position of side adjusters that Plumbline pointed out other manufacturers have them on the panel cross seam



Denny @ Aero

 

[John Lever]

Hi Denny, I didn't think the seam was present for reasons of economy as the jacket is so sumptuous, thanks for sharing the photos.
The fleece is perfect not whispy but dense and soft, one of the best I have seen for some time. Be very good for a b3.

 

[B-24J]

Thank you John and Denny for posting the photos.

Denny, Who manufactured your original? Your including the rivets/grommets at the bottom are a nice touch that other reproductions do not seem to offer.

John

 

[Sloan1874]

Do you think you could wear this for long periods, John?

 

[John Lever]

Do you think you could wear this for long periods, John?

Yes,it's very comfortable I can hardly bring myself to return it.

 

[Sloan1874]

Just for comparison:

 

[Stand By]

John,
What is the fleece pile like, it looks kind of long and silky in the photos.

Edit: and any chance of a close up of the bottom end of the zip area?

My Aero C-3 was rather the same when it first appeared - but after a couple of winters worn over my B-6, it's now developed a lovely, curly nap after the best way to age any jacket: wearing it as often possible and in as inclement weather as possible. There's just no substitute for it IMHO. That ANJ-4 will only look more fantastic in time.

The jacket looks brilliant! Thanks for the good review there, John. Much appreciated! That's a winner.

 

[Edward]

Not a million miles from the shade of fleece in my LW B3. I find it gets a little grubby on the neckline on occasion, but a bit of Vanish and a sot clean sorts it very quickly. I would eventuslly love one of these.... as well as a redskin b3 and a CC Irvin. My Irvin and b3 get a lot of wear, so I'm sure I could justify it to myself!!

 

[avique]

John,

I've noticed that the LW ANJ-4 squeaks quite a bit. Does the Aero have a similar problem?

 

[Big J]

Thanks for the review John!
That's a great jacket! I'd love to get Aero to make one for me- the longer zip without the buttons is very stylish.
Someone asked about Aeros fleece. For what it's worth, my Aero B-3 fleece hasn't got dirty in the least. It's changed from a very creamy white to a little more caramel color over the years, but I think that's the cigar smoke. The fleece has curled up and become a little tighter over the years, but just a little, and I wear it a lot, and treat it quite badly. The outside finish still looks almost brand new.

 

[John Lever]

John,

I've noticed that the LW ANJ-4 squeaks quite a bit. Does the Aero have a similar problem?

No squeaks